Handheld electronic device with cable grounding

• US 20080316116A1
• Filed: 06/21/2007
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Schlub, Robert W., Wang, Erik L., Tan, Tang Yew, Mittleman, Adam D., Hobson, Phillip M., Jenks, Kenneth A., Hill, Robert J., Dinh, Richard Hung Minh
• Granted Patent: US 7,889,139 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0421 with a shorting wall or a shorting pin at one end of the element H01Q9/0414 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0247 Electrical details of casings, e.g. terminals, passages for cables or wiring

Abstract

A handheld electronic device may be provided that contains a conductive housing and other conductive elements. The conductive elements may form an antenna ground plane. One or more antennas for the handheld electronic device may be formed from the ground plane and one or more associated antenna resonating elements. Transceiver circuitry may be connected to the resonating elements by transmission lines such as coaxial cables. Ferrules may be crimped to the coaxial cables. A bracket with extending members may be crimped over the ferrules to ground the coaxial cables to the housing and other conductive elements in the ground plane. The ground plane may contain an antenna slot. A dock connector and flex circuit may overlap the slot in a way that does not affect the resonant frequency of the slot. Electrical components may be isolated from the antenna using isolation elements such as inductors and resistors.

Claims

1. A handheld electronic device, comprising:

a radio-frequency transceiver;

an antenna having an antenna resonating element and a ground plane;

a coaxial cable having an outer ground conductor, having a first coaxial cable connector that is connected to the radio-frequency transceiver, and having a second coaxial cable connector that is connected to the antenna; and

at least one conductive fastener connected to the coaxial cable at a location along its length between the first and second coaxial cable connectors, wherein the conductive fastener is electrically connected to the ground plane.

2. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the conductive fastener comprises a ferrule that is crimped to the coaxial cable.

3. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of conductive fasteners connected to the coaxial cable at locations along the length of the coaxial cable between the first and second coaxial cable connectors.

4. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the conductive fastener comprises a ferrule that is crimped to the coaxial cable, the handheld electronic device further comprising a plurality of ferrules connected to the coaxial cable at locations along the length of the coaxial cable between the first and second coaxial cable connectors.

5. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the coaxial cable comprises insulated segments in which insulator covers the ground conductor and exposed segments in which the ground conductor is not covered by insulator and wherein the handheld electronic device further comprises a plurality of conductive fasteners connected to the ground conductor at the exposed segments.

6. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the coaxial cable comprises insulated segments in which insulator covers the ground conductor and exposed segments in which the ground conductor is not covered by insulator and wherein the handheld electronic device further comprises a plurality of ferrules that are crimped to the ground conductor at the exposed segments.

7. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a conductive member that shorts the conductive fastener to the ground plane.

8. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a conductive metal bracket that electrically and mechanically connects the conductive fastener to the ground plane.

9. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a conductive metal bracket having at least one bendable extension that is electrically and mechanically connected to the conductive fastener, wherein the conductive metal bracket is shorted to the ground plane.

10. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the ground plane comprises:

a conductive housing; and

a frame containing metal, wherein the conductive housing and the frame are electrically connected; and

a conductive metal bracket that electrically and mechanically connects the conductive fastener to the frame.

11. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the ground plane comprises:

a conductive housing; and

a frame containing metal, wherein the conductive housing and the frame are electrically connected; and

a conductive metal bracket having at least one bendable extension that is electrically and mechanically connected to the conductive fastener, wherein the conductive metal bracket is shorted to the frame.

12. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the conductive fastener comprises a ferrule that is crimped to the coaxial cable, the handheld electronic device further comprising a plurality of ferrules crimped to the coaxial cable at locations along the length of the coaxial cable between the first and second coaxial cable connectors and wherein the ground plane comprises a conductive housing and a frame containing metal that is electrically connected to the conductive housing, the handheld electronic device further comprising a conductive metal bracket having a plurality of bendable extensions that are each electrically and mechanically connected to a respective one of the ferrules, wherein the conductive metal bracket is welded to the frame.

13. A handheld electronic device, comprising:

a radio-frequency transceiver;

an antenna ground plane;

at least a first antenna resonating element that forms a first antenna with the antenna ground plane;

at least a first coaxial cable having an outer ground conductor, having a first coaxial cable connector that is connected to the radio-frequency transceiver, and having a second coaxial cable connector that is connected to the antenna;

a plurality of conductive fasteners connected to the coaxial cable at locations along its length between the first and second coaxial cable connectors; and

a conductive member that mechanically and electrically connects the conductive fasteners to the ground plane.

14. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the ground plane comprises a conductive handheld electronic device housing and a frame, wherein the conductive member is crimped to the conductive fasteners and is electrically and mechanically connected to the frame.

15. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 13 further comprising:

a second radio-frequency transceiver;

a second antenna resonating element that forms a second antenna with the antenna ground plane;

a second coaxial cable that is connected between the second antenna and the second radio-frequency transceiver and that has an outer ground conductor; and

a plurality of conductive fasteners that are attached to the outer ground conductor of the second coaxial cable, wherein the conductive member comprises extensions that are crimped to the conductive fasteners of the first coaxial cable and the second coaxial cable to short the outer ground conductors of the first and second coaxial cables to the antenna ground plane.

16. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 13 further comprising:

a second radio-frequency transceiver;

a second antenna resonating element that forms a second antenna with the antenna ground plane

a second coaxial cable that is connected between the second antenna and the second radio-frequency transceiver and that has an outer ground conductor; and

a plurality of conductive fasteners that are attached to the outer ground conductor of the second coaxial cable, wherein the conductive member comprises extensions that are crimped to the conductive fasteners of the first coaxial cable and the second coaxial cable to short the outer ground conductors of the first and second coaxial cables to the antenna ground plane, wherein the conductive fasteners comprise metal ferrules that are crimped to the outer ground conductors of the first and second coaxial cables.

17. A handheld electronic device, comprising:

a radio-frequency transceiver;

a transmission line having a ground conductor;

an antenna;

a conductive housing frame; and

a plurality of conductive structures connected to the ground conductor of the transmission line at intermediate positions along its length, wherein the plurality of conductive structures are electrically shorted to the conductive housing frame.

18. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the conductive housing frame comprises a planar sheet of metal, the handheld electronic device further comprising a metal bracket that is welded to the sheet of metal in the conductive housing frame, wherein the metal bracket has a plurality of extensions each of which is crimped over a respective one of the conductive structures.

19. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the transmission line comprises a coaxial cable, wherein the ground conductor comprise an outer ground conductor on the coaxial cable, wherein the conductive structures comprise ferrules that are crimped to the outer ground conductor, and wherein the handheld electronic device further comprises a metal bracket having bendable fingers that are bent over the ferrules.

20. The handheld electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the transmission line comprises a coaxial cable, wherein the ground conductor comprise an outer ground conductor on the coaxial cable, wherein the conductive structures comprise ferrules that are crimped to the outer ground conductor, the handheld electric device further comprising:

a metal housing;

a metal tab that is electrically connected between the metal housing and at least a given one of the ferrules; and

a biasing member that presses the given one of the ferrules against the metal grounding tab.

21. A handheld electronic device, comprising:

a radio-frequency transceiver;

an antenna ground plane;

at least a first antenna resonating element that forms a first antenna with the antenna ground plane;

at least a first transmission line having an outer ground conductor, having a first end that is connected to the radio-frequency transceiver, and having a second end that is connected to the antenna;

a plurality of conductive fasteners connected to the transmission line at locations along its length between the first and second ends; and

a conductive member that mechanically and electrically connects the conductive fasteners to the ground plane.